Windows Phone ditches the specs race

Focus is on quality not quantity

Microsoft, while never exactly seen as playing at the top end of the smartphone climbing frame, has confirmed that Windows Phone is not competing with other mobile devices on a spec-for-spec basis.

Speaking to The Verge, Microsoft's Joe Belfiore said that the user experience is more important in Windows Phone than cutting-edge specs or bargain-basement prices.

He said, "If you look at how we've built our team and the programme on Windows Phone we've really tried to focus our engineering efforts on a relatively narrow set of hardware so we can optimise it greatly.

"Over time, I think you can expect to see us expand the breadth of things we focus on. But for now, it's that narrower range."

Arms race

It's an Apple-style strategy, although Microsoft is sadly lacking in the apps and desirability departments, and it makes sense given the stranglehold Microsoft has over the OS's minimum tech requirements.

In fact, isn't it just Android manufacturers who are left playing the specs game? Apple does what it wants - sure, it could have come out with some kind of ridiculous mega-core iPhone 5 behemoth in last year if it had wanted to, but it wasn't ready so the company chose instead to focus on minor upgrades and usability features like Siri. But the iPhone 4S works, and that's the thing (just don't mention the battery...).

Meanwhile, Motorola, Samsung and HTC et al seem to be forever striving to the be thinnest, fastest, highest resolution, most number of cores, bassiest audio, best this, top that.

But what do most of us really want from a smartphone? You want it to look good, work properly, keep up with your fingers and for the battery life to last all day. And from that point of view, Windows Phone is doing all right.